Shria is heavily involved in artsUCL, and has been at the centre of numerous productions, taking on a variety of different roles
We caught up with Shria to find out how getting involved in the arts has shaped her time at UCL
My journey at UCL
I started my journey at UCL in 2022, studying comparative literature. I moved to London from India, and it felt quite lonely and isolating at first - I grew up in a big family unit, and the academia was different to what I was used to back home. I went into my degree just wanting to make friends on my course and find a good studying pattern, but then I joined UCL Drama Society! I've now been involved in over fifty projects as a producer, and involved with a whole host of arts societies - including Film Society, Musical Theatre Society, Shakespeare Company and Stage Crew Society.
I found my community and made incredible friends, but I also found a career path that I want to develop and take further, which has completely made my University experience. I'm now pursuing a MA in Creative Producing, and I don't think it would have happened had it not be for that one Sunday morning where I signed up to become a part of the Drama Society!
I found my community and made incredible friends, but I also found a career path that I want to develop and take further, which has completely made my University experience
Finding my community
Finding my community within artUCL happened naturally. One of the deciding factors as to why I came to UCL was because there is so much diversity here, and you get to connect with people from all walks of life. I think the nature of the work in arts really helped in creating these positive communities - when however many people come together to try to make a show, you're all concentrated together for weeks or months and strong bonds are developed. It's definitely been where I've found my best friends. The people I've gotten to work with have shaped me into who I am, and I hope I've been able to give back and help people joining arts societies find their footing.
The people I've gotten to work with have shaped me into who I am, and I hope I've been able to give back and help people joining arts societies find their footing.
Producing Twelfth Night
A moment I'm really proud of is our production of the Twelfth Night receiving so much recognition at the Students' Union's End of Year Awards. I worked really closely with Mary McHarg (former Students' Union President), and we came up with a fresh new take on Twelfth Night, where we transformed Mully's Bar into a speakeasy. We got really creative with the marketing for the show, having an RSVP list instead of ticket checking to mimic the feel of a speakeasy, and creating custom bar signs and bar stamps.
We also worked with the Students' Union staff to make a custom drinks menu, and just tried to make the experience to feel as immersive and personalised as possible. We got to work with so many amazing societies to pull it off - shoutout to UCL Jazz Society! - and seeing all the elements come together in a cohesive manner was brilliant.
Plus, because it was term one show, we prioritised getting as many freshers involved as possible - over 70 per cent of our team in cast and production ended up being freshers. It was really exciting getting to see them have that experience of finding their niche within the society! And now they've gone on to direct and produce their own shows, which makes me incredibly happy. I'm glad I was able to help contribute to that experience.
